Full Notification

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION – SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS

About 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2015, San Dimas Station deputies responded regarding a vehicle over the side on Glendora Mountain Road about 6 miles north of Glendora.  Deputies Ramos and Demooy, the first emergency responders to arrive, learned that an Audi with six occupants crashed off the road, traveling about 300 feet down an embankment.  Two occupants – the ones not wearing seatbelts - were ejected from the car.  

Deputy Ramos immediately climbed down the steep embankment to assess the injuries and treat victims, while Deputy DeMooy remained at the roadside.  We’re grateful there were no fatalities, but we’ve learned some of the injuries were very serious.  A joint effort by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team rescued the six occupants, some of whom were airlifted to hospitals.  Two Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopters spent about two hours on scene in hazardous conditions.  The incident is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol. 

Our local mountain roads lead to some beautiful vistas and excellent outdoor recreation activities.  This incident is a stark reminder of the hazards of these challenging roads.  We’re sure the passengers in this car did not anticipate or appreciate this outcome for their Sunday evening drive.  Please reduce speed and wear your seatbelts.  The life you save may be your own. 

The San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team, which is affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, is on-call 24/7, 365 days a year. They learn the fundamentals of mountaineering, including rappelling, swift-water and snow-and-ice rescue, setting up raising and lowering systems using ropes and pulleys, tracking lost hikers, and navigating the hills and trails of the San Gabriel Mountains.  Its members search for hikers who are lost or injured in the mountains. They also are on-scene at accidents in which a car has plummeted over the side of the mountain’s treacherous winding roads. They rappel down to the victims, sometimes as far as 800 feet, and bring the injured back up to the road in a litter or work with the LASD’s aero units to hoist the victims out via helicopter. They rescue hikers who are trapped on the side of cliffs or stranded by a fast moving body of water. They assist with evacuations during wildland fires, and work with the Department’s CSI teams at crime scenes in the mountains.

The team also helps with searches in other counties. Some of the team’s members also are part of the county’s underground rescue team. SDMRT believes strongly in “preventive search and rescue.” To that end, the team does numerous presentations, teaching children what to do if they get lost in the mountains. Team members also participate in safety fairs, parades and many other community events. Because its members also have been trained as EMTs, they recently taught first-aid to a local Cub Scout troop, helping them to earn their First Aid badge.   

The San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team is one of eight search-and-rescue teams in the county. Founded in 1955, it will celebrate its 60th anniversary of community service this year.

SAN DIMAS STATION

San Dimas Sheriff’s Station is one of six stations within the East Patrol Division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Station’s jurisdiction encompasses approximately 276 square miles. In addition to serving the City of San Dimas, the station serves unincorporated communities of Azusa, Covina, Glendora, La Verne, Claremont, Pomona, the Los Angeles County portion of Mt. Baldy, a large portion of the Angeles National Forest (State Route 39), and portions of Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2). The population for these areas is approximately one hundred and five thousand (105,000), nearly sixty sixty-nine thousand (69,000) in the unincorporated areas and more than thirty-six thousand (36,000) in the City of San Dimas.

San Dimas Sheriff’s Station

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

270 S. Walnut Avenue

San Dimas, CA 91773

(909) 450-2700

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